Tyson Fury makes bold Tom Aspinall claim ahead of his return to the ring

WBC champion Fury is in training ahead of his first fight in almost a year, in the form of ex-UFC champ Francis Ngannou on October 28.

Atherton-born Aspinall – who has coached Jiu Jitsu at Elite Fitness Factory in Wigan, the gym owned by his Team Kaobon mate Mike Grundy – will be part of Fury's training camp, to provide an insight into the mindset of an MMA fighter.

He recently marked his own return to the octagon after 12 months out with a knee injury by stopping Marcin Tybura in London, and currently ranked No.4 in the world.

And having seen close hand the skills of Aspinall, Morecambe-born Fury believes he can - and will - go all the way in UFC.

“I’m bringing him in as a sparring partner in preparation for a UFC champion," Fury told TNT Sports.

"He said he would. Said he had a fight coming up, which he had and won, and he’s injury free.

"I sparred Tom years ago, anyway, when he was in our gym.

“He’s a good fighter, probably could have made it as a pro boxer.

"I was quite sure he would have gone on and won a world championship, but he had a derailment with his knee, and that fell out, now he’s had his comeback trail.

"I think he can do it. He’s big enough, he’s got the power, he’s a black belt in jiu-jitsu.”

Jones, a former two-time UFC light heavyweight champion, is currently ranked No.1 in the pound-for-pound rankings.

That said, Fury says Aspinall has all the tools to be able to get the job done.

“It’s a tough one,” he answered. “Jon Jones is the Tyson Fury of MMA.

"People are unable to beat him. Very tough one.

"Even though Tom Aspinall’s a mate, Jon Jones is probably considered the greatest of all time in MMA, so I don’t know.

“It's probably like, can anyone beat Vladimir Klitschko before Tyson Fury beat him?

"Probably not, but then Tyson Fury beat him.

"So if anyone can beat Jon Jones, it’ll be Tom Aspinall. Nobody else.”